Leaders do not develop overnight. Sure, some are born with more natural talent than others, but all leadership skills are learnable and all must be practiced on a daily basis. John Maxwell, in his book entitled "The 21 laws of Irrefutable Leadership," says that becoming a leader is a process, as opposed to an event. For example, just because you are appointed to a high position, does not make you a leader. Anyone can steer a ship, but it takes a leader to set the course. Here are the five phases (as outlined by Maxwell) you will need to go through as you develop into a leader.

Phase 1: I Don’t Know What I Don’t Know

This is the beginning phase when you must recognize that you have a lot of learning and experiences ahead of you. This is where you must observe yourself and know that there are many things about you that need development. The person in this phase is pretty much clueless and unless they move on to phase 2, they may never grow into a leader.

Phase 2: I Know That I Need to Know

At this point, many people begin to realize that they need to learn to become a leader. For instance, they may have been promoted in their job, but no one is really following them. Or perhaps you have started your own business where you will be leading people. Now you are awake and conscious. Now you can begin to seek out assistance and education to learn leadership principles.

Phase 3: I Know What I Don’t Know

In this phase, you will begin to learn from experienced leaders. Seek out leaders in your community to learn from. Read books, listen to tapes and attend seminars on leadership. As you begin to implement these principles into your business, your employees or associates will respond and you will start to develop leadership characteristics. Remember, what you do on a daily basis will become who you are.

Phase 4: I Know And Grow, And It Starts To Show

Now you will begin to notice how your newly developed leadership skills affect your interactions with everyone you meet. You will see that leadership is the ability to influence others, and you have people following you. Though your practice has been a daily practice, one day you will wake up with quantum leaps of positive change. In this phase, you will still be learning intensely, but more and more people will recognize and respect your character.

Phase 4: I Simply Go Because of What I Know

Maxwell says that in this phase you act with instincts. All your moves will become automatic. You have acted as a leader so much that these leadership characteristics have become a habit. You have followed the process. You have paid the price. Now, you can help others who may be in phase 1 to start their journey of discovery.